William westlake



(No Mode 1.)

W. WESTLAKE.

GUSPIDOR.

Patented Feb. 7,1882.

$&g14.

N. PETERS. PlwkrLvthngr-Iphen Washington. 0. c.

UNITED WILLIAM WESTLAKE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

CUSPIDOR.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 253,455, dated February 7, 188.2.

I Application filed January 6, 1882. (No model.)

I 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM WEsTLAKE, of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Ouspidors, ofwhich the following is-a specification.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a cuspidor with tubes into which the tips of umbrellas can be inserted, whereby the umbrellas are held in an upright position and their drip is received in the reservoir of the cuspidor; also, to stiffen the laterally-projecting base-plate or platform of the cuspidor; also, to provide means for securing the screwsoekets in the bottom of the cuspidor, when made of china or other frangible material.

The inventionis illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a central section of a sheet-metalcuspidor provided with tubes, and with a bracing or inclined baseplate or platform detachably secured to its bottom. Fig. 2 is a top view of a section of the base-plate, showing flutings. Fig. 3 is a section of a china cuspidor provided with an interior shell or cylinder carrying umbrellaholding tubes, and showing the mode of securinga screw-socket in its bottom and Fig. 4 is a top view of the tube-cylinder removed from the cuspidor.- In the drawings, A represents the bodytor reservoir portion of the cuspidor. Bis the sheet-metal base-plate or platform, extending laterally from the bottom of the-cuspidor.

ware tubes, preferably of sheet metal, attached to the walls of openings in the flaring lip O, and passing down into the reservoir of the cuspidor. The upper ends of the open tubes a may be inserted within and soldered to-circular flanges projecting underneath the flaring lip C, or preferably the flanges are inserted within the ends of the tubes, while their lower ends project into the reservoir through circular openings, and are preferably held in place by soldering. Any desirable number of these tubes may be used, but three or four will 1 generally be found suffioient.

The cuspidor may be of the form generally in use, with such modifications as taste may suggest. It is desirable that it be provided with a base-plate orplatform extending laterally from its body to such an extent as to prevent the cuspidor from being overturned when the umbrellas are placed in the tubes. Although it could be made to serve as an umbrella holder in the absence of a broad base, by leaning the umbrellas against the wall or other support, yet'its utility would be vastly increased by providing-it with a base sufficiently broad to make it reliably self-sustaining when part or all of its tubes are loaded with umbrellas. It is also very desirable, in cuspidors provided with platforms extending laterally beyond their bodies, whether fitted for umbrella holders or otherwise, that the broad platform be of such material and be so constructed or shaped that it cannot be bent out of shape by the ordinary conditions of use. It has been found by experience that when such platforms extend out horizontally from the bottom of the cuspidor the sheet-metal of which they are usually formed, unless very thick, is extremely liable to be bent out of its normal position, frequently by dropping orlaying them heavily on the floor in such way that one side of thepl'atform will receive all the weight and shock of the fall or blow. The result of this is that the broad bearing upon the edge of the platform ceases to be fully available as a support to prevent overturning or upsetting, and the cuspidor is liable to rock or roll. To remedy this difficulty I form the sheet metal of the base or platform with a flat central portion, D, upon which the bottom of the cuspidor is seated, and with an inclination, E, sloping downward from the part D toward its bearingedge, which conformation so braces and strengthens the metal that when the cuspidor is dropped or laid heavily upon the floor, with its weight received upon one side of the platform, the force of the fall will not be sufficient to permanently overcome the brace of the metal and cause distortion. An inclination of from one-half to three-fourths of an inch in a baseplate'oue foot in diameter is considered suffitient to give the desired strength and brace to the metal.

To give increased stiffness and rigidity to the platform, if necessary, the metal may be struck up into flutings or corrugations F, extending from near the body of the cuspidor to near the edge of the platform, as shown in Fig.

2 of the drawings. A cuspidor having abracing or inclined platform, as described,and provided with fiutin gs or corrugations, can be made from moderately thin metal, as X X tin, and yet have sufficient strength and rigidity to retain its form under all the ordinary conditions of use. It will even sustain the weight of a man without crippling or becoming permanently distorted.

For additional security against crushing from weights placed upon the platform, a hoop or ring, b,is secured to its under side, between the edge and the center of the platform, preferably at the shoulder c, beneath the edge of the bottom of the cuspidor. This hoop should not come quite down to the floor, so as to interfere with the full bearing of the structure upon the edge (I of the platform. The platform is provided with an uprising rim, e, near its edge, of such height as to retaina moderate amount of fluid or other substance deposited upon the platform.

The platforms are preferably secured to the body of the cuspidor by a screw, 8, risingfrom the center of the plattorm,-which is screwed into a screw-threaded socket, s, in the bottom of the cuspidor. This screw-socket is easily made of sheet metal, and when the body of the cuspidor is of sheet metal is soldered or brazed in position. When the body is of china, porcelain, or other frangible material, the screwsoeket'is secured in place by forming a recess or cavity, f, preferably dovetailed in shape, in

the bottom of the cuspidor, into which a proper quantity of cement or equivalent material is placed. The-screw-socket is then forced into position in the cavity and is entirely embedded in the cement, which, when hardened, acts, in connection with the dovetail-wall of the cavity,to hold the socket firmly in place.

The edge of the body of the cuspidorshould be in a slightly lower plane than its central portion, so that when the body is screwed to the platform there will be a broad firm bearing between the edges of the bottom and the platform.

It is preferred to form the platform with an annular rise or shoulder, 0, beneath the edge of the bottom of the cuspidor, which adds to the symmetry and beauty of the structure, and at the same time provides aconvenient surface for attaching the hoop b by solder, or otherwise. a

By making the attaching-screws and their sockets of the same size the platforms and bodies of thecuspidors can be applied inter ,hangeably,whether the bodies are of sheet metal, or of china or other material.

When the bodies of cuspidors are of china, earthenware, or other similar material, it would be impracticable to construct them for umbrella-holders by passing open tubes through the flaring lip and into the reservoir, as heretofore described and shown for the construction of sheet-metal bodies. This method would be expensive, and would weaken the material and render it liable to easy fracture in use. In such cases a shell,g, preferably of sheet-metal, and provided with the desired number of tubes to receive the tips of the umbrellas, is formed to fit within the reservoir, so that it can be readily inserted and removed through the mouth or opening of the cuspidor. When in position its lower edge will rest upon the bottom and its upper edge will be in contact with the walls ofthe mouth of the cuspidor, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

In cuspidors provided with broad platforms the capacity of readily detaehin g the body from the platform is of great advantage, as it facilitates the close packing of the parts for shipment, and enables the cnspidors, when in use, to be cleaned more perfectly and with less labor and trouble.

What is claimed as new isl. Acuspidor provided with tubes setin its body and adapted to hold umbrellas, substan-. tially as described and shown.

2. In a cuspidor, the combination of tubes set in its body and adapted to hold umbrellas,

and a base-plate or platform extending laterally beyond the body of the cuspidor, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. A cuspidor provided with a base-plate or platform detachably secured to its bottom and extending beyond its body in a downward incline to form a bracing-support, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. A cuspidor platform or base provided with a flat central portion, 1), to receive the bottom of the cuspidor, and with an inclined bracing portion, E, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. A cuspidor-platform provided with the bracing-incline E and a supporting hook or ring, I), substantially as and for the purpose NVILLIAM VESTLAKE.

Witnesses:

R0131. H. DUNCAN, I. PAUL KtiRs'rEtNn. 

